Is pain medicaton needed for rads

bedo · July 2011

I'm beginning to wonder, and I think a burn is a bad kind of pain. Did advil or tyleol work for anyone, or what any stronger needed? Some people have said that they had a whole skin peel and is was very painful

Thank you!

redsox · July 2011

I did not need any kind of pain tablets, just hydrocortisone cream liberally applied to the skin.

nowords · July 2011

I had a very large radiated field for large tumor and less than ideal margins...and a large raw area a week after it was done. I used prescription creams, moist pads that burn victims use that we ordered from a pharmacy and narcotics for a short time. After about 3 weeks the skin healed....my case was probably not the norm....

DesignerMom · July 2011

I didn't need any pain meds. Are you saying you have severe burns that are causing pain? If you have burns, please bring it to your RO's attention. Usually the nurses want to see and often prescribe Silvadene cream which heals burns quickly. Occassionally they need to give some people a day or two break if the skin is breaking down. I don't think you should be in severe pain from rads.

bedo · July 2011

No, Designermom,

I have not started yet. The thought just popped into my head and I started wondering. Thank you.

jo1955 · July 2011

bedo - I did not have any pain meds throughout rads. I did burn and to the point I did have to take a few days off. My RO was such a moron and would not allow me to use any kinds of creams, lotions. I had to ask him for some Aquaphor and a script for Topicort as I developed a topical infectiion. My case is not the norm - most ROs do allow the use of creams, etc. Be sure to ask lots of questions before you have your first treatment.

Anonymous · July 2011

In general, most people do not have severe pain. I had two surgeries (lumpectomy and later a bilateral reduction and margin clearing surgery) and did not need the vicondin prescribed.

Radiation was very painful by the 4th week in my case. I followed all of the docs directions with the cream, etc. and was also using the silvadene cream when it was necessary. I did take vicondin at that point, and it helped. My skin did not "break" but was seriously burned - I did not take any days off. Had I needed the boost at the end, they would have made me take a break. The techs could not believe how burned I got.

My friend is really fair and had no issues. I am olive complexed and generally don't sun burn so go figure!

Good luck with radiation - I'm sure you will be like most and sail through it.

Bren-2007 · July 2011

Bedo .. I had pain with my radiation burn and also some blistering. I did not take any pain medication during any of the treatment. Towards the end, the fatigue was more debilitating than the burn on my breast.

Wishing you well,

Bren

Maybe484 · July 2011

I just needed an anti-anxiety med occasionally during rads. Now that I'm newly finished, my RO--at her suggestion, not mine--prescribed a pain med for my axilla burns and skin breakdown, which are keeping me awake at night. Good luck--maybe your SEs will be more minimal and you won't need pain meds.

Claire_in_Seattle · July 2011

Nothing more than a bit of redness. Just use more aloe than you ever thought possible and you will be fine. Rads were a piece of cake for me, although I did feel more tired towards the end.

hrf · July 2011

I didn't need any pain meds

ktab96 · July 2011

So far I have not needed pain meds but I was given some for "just in case". I take extra strength tylonol

Letlet · July 2011

Well i was badly burned during rads. I had blisters that popped open, were completely raw. It wasn't a couple, it was quite a few. They gave me vicodin.

starbeauty · July 2011

Bedo... I was burned badly during rads. Huge area from abdomen to mid-neck, to shoulder, through body to a 6x4 inch patch on my back of burn. Peeling... blistering... etc. Burn color is still there 1 year later.

My arm also began to tighten up with each new rad treatment so that when they positioned it - it caused stabbing pain. I took Advil... it hardly touched it. I took Vicodan... it worked.

ruthbru · July 2011

No pain meds. I was fine, just got red and felt hot by the end. Be sure to put on whatever lotion or cream the nurses recommend right from the start (I used Aquafor). Don't put any on in the morning before the 'zaps' or you will intensify the burn. But I brought a tube with me and smeared up good in the dressing room right when I got done and also at night before I went to bed. Near the end, when I was hot, I slept with a fan trained right on my boob and also got a little tiny fan which I could prop on my lap and blow under my shirt when I was sitting around watching TV etc.

Fearless_One · July 2011

I needed no meds and my skin did not peel. Had a mild "sunburn" towards the end that went away soon after.

GmaFoley · July 2011

I took Aleve when the muscles got tighter toward the end.. It was the week after rads finished when I needed something stronger (oxycodone) and that was because, I think, that I got lax with my creams and I burned under my breast.... but the RO was treating me with 28 treatments at a higher dose ..so take that in consideration..

vivirasselena · July 2011

I've had pain meds all through radiation...........not that I've used them.....just had them on hand.

Take care of yourself HOWEVER you need to...........this is YOUR time to get better, no matter WHAT.

I love you all.

michele

lrr4993 · July 2011

I blistered and had raw, red exposed skin, but it really did not hurt. It was just icky. It healed in about a week with use of silvadene creme.

bedo · July 2011

Thank you all. I will be sure and not wear anything before and to ask for all the"stuff" that I might need at the first visit when they measure you or whatever it is they do

jenn3 · July 2011

I used Miaderm, Lubiderm and pure aloe - my skin looked beautiful. It didn't start getting red and only slightly red until the last week. When rads were finished I continued using lotions and creams, but my skin was still cooking............ It was the week after I finished rads that my skin started to crack and peel. It leaked and oozed this nasty stuff that is unexplainable and the pain was horrific. I was told by the nurse that patients that have had a BMX without recon usually have more severe burns because they don't have as much tissue to absord the rays. Whether or not that is true, that was what they told me (I had a BMX, no recon). I went into the office for almost a week so that they could clean the burned area, in addition to the cleaning I did. They also used a wonderful pad that stuck to the skin, absorbed the ooz, but didn't hurt coming off. I used pain medication and couldn't have made it through that week without it. With all of that said, I do think I was NOT the norm.

peggy_j · July 2011

No pain meds needed. My skin peeled a little but wasn't painful.

I agree with Ruthbru. Make sure you go to rads with completely clean and dry skin. (nothing on the skin for at least 2 hrs; 4 hrs is better). Somehow I missed that memo and was putting my aloe on 2 hours before rads. When I stopped doing that, the skin was better.

Sherryc · July 2011

I was pretty raw by the time my reg rads finished and going into my boost. My RO had to put me on Lortabs for my boost and for a week following all my rads. I was in quiet a bit of pain and I have a high pain threshhold. I used all the creams and followed my RO's instructions in taking care of my skin. Some people break down and others don't

Maybe484 · August 2011

Just to echo Sherryc, if--and hopefully others won't--you suffer severe radiation burn and skin breakdown as she and I did, the pain is significant. I think the only reason I wasn't screaming all of the time is that I have some underarm/upper arm numbness thanks to my two axilla surgeries. Still, I have to take something to sleep, and even then the pain is waking me. Day 11 of this ----.

Like jenn3, I followed skin care and nutrition by the book and it wasn't until rads were finished that the real pain began--my "leakage" is exactly as Jenn described.

ETA: I don't think I was the norm either. Not too many people have a primary tumor in their armpit--mine was almost in my upper arm, and so I had my first excision and re-excision/SNB surgeries there prior to rads. Mine is a difficult area to heal because of the inevitable irritation/lack of air. Sincere wishes that you won't experience this.

coraleliz · August 2011

I take advil, when I remember, prior to RADs. But that's because I have trouble holding my arms above my head for the requied length of time. Combination of BMX & getting older(arthritis?). I start my 3rd week of RADs today.

3monstmama · August 2011

No pain meds here. I think with zaps you cannot really predict how you will do. I am very fair and always used to burn like crazy in the sun--you know the second degree type with blisters all over in lieu of a suntan. And yet, I sailed through zaps. I can honestly say I had worse sunburns when I was a kid.

What I did that I think helped was:

1. kept zapped skin clean and dry. No oily stuff on the bad boobie. Used calendula creme and aloe multiple times a day BUT NEVER before zaps. I always took a shower in the am and just left bad boobie unlotioned until post session.

2. ditched the bra--I wore white cotton t-shirts throughout zaps. I did end up removing the necks and the collars but nothing else.

3. got sleep.

4. got exercise

At the very end I was pretty red and had one or two small blisters. I reported them to the zap staff and was given aquafore. The week post zaps, it felt like a really bad sunburn. For that I just did regular ibupro.

That said, for some women, their skin burns very badly and the pain can be really bad. If you have your doctor on call to give you a prescription, there is no shame in needing pain meds and no reason to tough it out.

Is pain medicaton needed for rads

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